PGA Tour Fantasy Golf: Picks for the 2019 WGC-HSBC Champions

The PGA TOUR ends its Asian Swing this week at the WGC-HSBC Champions, and fantasy golf players will have plenty of value to find up and down this limited field event.

This week, the PGA Tour travels to China for the WGC-HSBC Champions. This event will present the fantasy golf community with a quality field of talent, including world number two Rory McIlroy.

Before we dive into my DraftKings player picks, let’s take a quick look at the golf course the field will contend with this week and the key statistics that I am focusing on for this event.

The WGC-HSBC Champions will be played at the Sheshan International Golf Club in Songjiang, China. The golf course is a par 72 that measures 7,266 yards. This track is a tree lined course with undulating green complexes. Water is in play on 11 holes on this track. Additionally, this course features four par 5 holes.

I should also note that this will be the seventh consecutive year that the WGC-HSBC Champions has been played at Sheshan. Due to this fact, DFS players will have a wealth of course history to evaluate as they compose player pools for DraftKings contests.

As I reviewed the statistics of the previous winners of this tournament (played at Sheshan) it became evident to me that one statistic was clearly of more importance to success here than the rest. The statistic I am making reference to is putts per green-in-regulation.

Let’s take a look at the last three winners of the WGC-HSBC Champions and how they ranked in relation to the field in putts per GIR the week they won the event: Xander Schauffele (2019) 4th in putts per GIR, Justin Rose (2018) seventh in putts per GIR, and Hideki Matsuyama (2017) first in putts per GIR.

I think the data is rather clear. For me, that means I need to identify golfers for my fantasy golf player pools that have a putter that has been hot in tournament play recently.          

The key statistics I am focusing on this week are putts per GIR, total greens in regulation, and driving distance.

Let’s now shift our focus to my DraftKings player selections for the WGC-HSBC Champions!

Rory McIlroy $11,700

I am not one to eat the chalk in fantasy golf, but sometimes I just feel like I have to do it. That is the case for me this week. I just cannot fade Rory McIlroy in this event.

Let me provide some of the key data that led me to the conclusion that the smart play in fantasy golf contests for this event was to start the majority of my DraftKings lineups with the 2019 FedEx Cup Champion.

First of all, I love the fact that Rory has illustrated previously that he can perform at a high level at the Sheshan International Golf Club. McIlroy has played this tournament four times since 2013. Of those four times playing here, Rory has three top 11 finishes, including a fourth place finish in 2016.

As far as current form goes, well, the world’s number two ranked golfer certainly checks that box as well. Rory has played eight tournaments (PGA and European Tours combined) since the beginning of August. In those eight events, Rory has an unbelievable six top nine finishes, including a win at the 2019 Tour Championship.

Yes, I recognize that Rory McIlroy arrives at a rather high DraftKings cost of $11,700. However, in my opinion, he is worth the high cost this week (and most others, to be fair).

By the way, if I am being honest, I think Rory’s DraftKings price of $11,700 is a shade low. In my opinion, it should be above $12,000.

Why do I say that? Well, let’s take a look at some of the big names that are not in this week’s field: Rickie Fowler, Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, and Brooks Koepka.

In summary, I think Rory’s chances to win this event are very high. Fade him at your own risk!

Billy Horschel $8,900

I have been watching this man play golf for several years now. The one thing I have noticed about the 32 year old American is that he tends to play well in the latter part of the year.

Let’s take a look back at his 2014 PGA Tour campaign as an example of his ability to play outstanding late in the year. Horschel was having a very average year with regard to his results when he began his run to win the FedEx Cup. Horschel finished second, first, and first in the last three playoff events in 2014 to win the season’s championship, and the healthy payday that came with it.

This year, Horschel appears to be getting hot late once again. He has two top six finishes in his last three tournaments, which includes a sixth place finish at last week’s ZOZO Championship.

I also like the fact that Horschel’s putter was hot last week. Horschel ranked third in the ZOZO Championship field for putts per GIR (1.660). I think the University of Florida product continues to putt well in China this week and will be close to the top of the leaderboard on Sunday!

If you are looking for additional golfers to complete your DraftKings lineup I also like the following players to put together a strong finish, likely inside the top 20, this week.

Andrew Putnam $7,800

He finished 20th at the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges two weeks ago. Putnam also finished fourth at the WGC-HSBC Champions last year.

Andrea Pavan $7,200

Pavan finished 22nd in last year’s WGC-HSBC Champions at Sheshan. Additionally, he arrives at this event in outstanding form. Pavan has three consecutive top 12 finishes on the European Tour.

Xinjun Zhang $6,900

The 32 year old arrives at this event playing some outstanding golf. He has three consecutive top 16 finishes on the PGA Tour, including a fourth place at the Houston Open.

If you have any player questions feel free to contact me on Twitter at @geeversgolf.

As always, good luck!